Slugs

[Karsal]

Has anyone encountered hives full of slugs at their first inspections?
Some of the three colonies have live bees inside but are not viable as colonies. The greenish three inch long slugs have crawled all over some of the combs.

 

[masterBK]

I've found leopard slugs in beehives in the past. These largish slugs don't attack plants but eat other species of slugs as well as dead organic matter. In beehives they usually feed on dead bees on the floorboard. In the animal world they are renowned for their sex life and the size of their appendage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150114-the-strange-sensational-world-of-leopard-slug-sex

also

https://www.wired.com/2015/09/absurd-creature-week-slug-big-penis-mate-upside/

 

[Finno]

Probably leopard slugs. I believe that even when they are thrown out, they are very good at returning "home" to hive where they have been lodging.

 

[philipm]

Yes I've had slugs in a hive before.Think they must be sting proof

 

[foghornleghorn]

Ye way more slugs in hives here this spring than other years

 

[Curly green fingers]

I had slugs last year I've put copper tape around my floor no slugs this year. They were mainly leopard's.. I didn't no they eat other slugs you learn something new as they say.

 

[Karsal]

I had slugs last year I've put copper tape around my floor no slugs this year. They were mainly leopard's.. I didn't no they eat other slugs you learn something new as they say.

Thanks for the copper tape suggestion. They were leopard slugs up to 20 in one hive. Don't want to use slug pellets as they kill hedgehogs.

 

[Curly green fingers]

Plants slugs hate. Mint,chives,geraniums,Foxglove's and fennel plant some round your hive.
Buy some Diatomaceous earth fossilized plant dust slugs hate it put it on your plants to as well as round your hive.
Salt or vinager as a spray to kill on contact ...
Cheers mark.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Good grief, slugs in hives, never heard of this before.

 

[Popparand]

Plants slugs hate. Mint,chives,geraniums,Foxglove's and fennel plant some round your hive.
Buy some Diatomaceous earth fossilized plant dust slugs hate it put it on your plants to as well as round your hive.
Salt or vinager as a spray to kill on contact ...
Cheers mark.

Does this work to keep slugs off allotment veggies as well? Is this the stuff they use for some swimming pool filters?

 

[Popparand]

Garden veggies

Apparently there are two grades - swimming pool and food grade. It has to be the food grade one because swimming pool grade is too fine.

https://www.gardenmyths.com/how-to-get-rid-of-slugs-with-diatomaceous-earth/

Uh - oh. Has to be dry though so not much use in this country!

 

[madasafish]

I always get slugs in hives in winter..( the field next to us is marshy and holds approx 1-2000 million slugs and snails).

They leave hives in Spring as the weather warms up..

Mainly leopard slugs

 

[Gwr]

In all my years of beekeeping, I’ve never had slugs in my hives before and this year I’ve got them in every hive, up between the tops of the frames.

My hives standard about 2ft of the ground so I’ll go and have a look if I can find some copper tape on the internet to add to the hive stands legs to stop it happening again.

 

[madasafish]

In all my years of beekeeping, I’ve never had slugs in my hives before and this year I’ve got them in every hive, up between the tops of the frames.

My hives standard about 2ft of the ground so I’ll go and have a look if I can find some copper tape on the internet to add to the hive stands legs to stop it happening again.

Cut up used copper piping is cheaper

 

[Curly green fingers]

Does this work to keep slugs off allotment veggies as well? Is this the stuff they use for some swimming pool filters?

As others have said you can get two grades of it I put it on veg plants to.
I use copper tape round some of my veg plants.
I've just bought a catapult might come in handy for the slugs.